Australians have been advised not to wear face masks if they aren't infected by COVID-19

Get the Full StoryREUTERS Nicholas Pfosi

Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly told Australians that they shouldn't wear face masks.

That's partially due to the short supply of face masks in the health care system.

Kelly pointed out that it's also because face masks aren't very effective in protecting an individual from infection.

He said the country has made gains in face mask supplies and in its effort to make its own face masks.

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Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly told Australians that it's not a good idea to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic in a press conference on Friday, citing constraints on face mask supplies for the Australian healthcare system.

Kelly also pointed to their poor effectiveness in protecting someone from the virus as another reason why most Australians shouldn't wear face masks when they're going about their daily business. See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: The rise and fall of Pan AmSee Also:INSIDER TODAY: When will life go back to normal again?New York's attorney general called Amazon's firing of a worker following a protest 'disgraceful' and is 'considering all legal options'Airbnb has reportedly dropped its internal valuation to 26 billion as the coronavirus halts travel worldwideSEE ALSO: A new phone-tracing technology could tell if you've been exposed to the coronavirus without sacrificing privacy. 130 researchers are offering it to countries for free.

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